Illuminated Ground

Illuminate Ground | 새로운 광화문광장 국제설계 공모

Client: Seoul Metropolitan Government Program: Civic Plaza, Park and Culture Location: Jongno-gu, Seoul Team: COL.C, Heeyeun Yoon Year: 2019

Re-illuminate History, Re-connect Space

In Korean traditional paintings, the perception of space is conceived through the deep engagement of the space (immersed in the space) creating an experience on a spiritual level. The multiple points of view, one perceives climbing up a mountain from bottom to halfway up and to the top, is drawn/included in one single painting and describing the atmosphere, which is experienced in the landscape. This method does not follow a sequential order of capturing refined moments (of experience) in time, but creates a multidimensional layering of moments in the mind and therefore creating a painting with multi-dimensional points of view (collection of multiple perspectives in one painting). This concept of multidimensional perception of space enriches the experience of space and influences the design process of creating sceneries on the site. The landscape and the urban fabric are intersected, as well as space and time are interwoven as longitudinal and lateral threads.

The historical and architectural scenery around Gwanghwamun square shall not only exist in a single period of time but shall be constantly re-evaluated and re-composed by the citizens of Seoul for the multidimensional experience of wandering (meandering through) such as in the Korean traditional paintings. The Gwanghwamun square shall be considered in several layers of time - past, present, and future - and needs a process to question how it is made, used and be changed to find the appropriate solution.

The ‘Illuminated Ground’ focuses on the history of the ground of Gwanghwamun site to create the historical and architectural scenery. Before the Gwanghwamun square, there was the road (Yukjo-daero), and before the road, there was the soft earth of the ground of the site which embeds the multiple events and the history that has been created by. The concept of the proposal `Illuminated Ground` is to uncover and re-illuminate this `ground` to create sceneries not converging the focus to a single point nor view, but rather emphasizing the experience of meandering on multidimensional layers.

The landscape of the square acts as the mediator for connecting the ground and underground level as a park. The emptied out ‘hangrang’ space is filled with moss to act as an air filtration layer for the basement level, and the trees planted in the sunken entrance gardens are a visual mediator for the visitors to imagine an extended level underground. The convenience facilities, which comprises of the Info center on the ground level with an elevator connected down to the basement level and to the WCs and nursing areas, are placed in the two transitional zones in the park, where the site context intervene into the square and create a landscape in the park.